Monday, November 20, 2006
We are back, we are ready, will the wind ever stop?
As I mentioned in the last report, we took off for several weeks of camping down in the hinterlands of Utah. Our son Taiga did great down there. Even though we had a few days of inclement weather, he really seemed to enjoy having a hundred thousand acre sandbox to play in. Whenever he sees a picture of a tent now he points to it excitedly and says "Home!". We were able to put in some amazing hikes, and see some areas that we have been trying to get to for years. Our friend, and celebrity kayak guide, Ryan Hopkins joined us with his wife Niki. They put their Subaru Outback through it's paces. I'm not sure that those cars are truly designed to be off-highway vehicles, but it definitely went where no Subaru has been before!
All in all the trip went off without incident. Just like we like it. "Adventures" are made when things go wrong.
After that fantastic camping trip down to the slickrock deserts, and a quick jaunt to visit family in Tucson, we are back in Anacortes and itching to get out for some more kayaking. The problem is the wind. It seems that we are on the receiving end of a giant ocean conveyor belt that has been continuosly slamming our shorelines with storm systems. Every other day strong winds have whipped the waters into a frothy mess. Last week's big storm came in with a vengeance. There was a 76 mph gust recorded out at the Lopez Island ferry terminal. -Just to put things into perspective, according to the Beaufort Scale (a mariner's tool for measuring wind speed and sea state) any winds in excess of 73 mph are considered HURRICANE force winds!!
Although a stormy sea can be incredibly beautiful, it can frustrate the efforts of folks wanting to come out kayaking with us. (Sorry Christine and Andrew, we'll get you guys out with us eventually)
At some point this pattern will break and we will be rewarded with some perfect winter kayaking conditions. If you see a good weather forecast then give us a call quick. There are a lot of people anxious to get out on the water.
A quick synopsis of the wildlife out there:
-All three pods of Resident Orcas (killer whales) were seen two days ago heading in from the Ocean. They are probably going to be seen down in the Puget Sound for a while.
-A huge pod of Harbor Porpoise was reported to be lingering out off of the west side of Burrows Island. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see them before they disperse.
-A harbor seal seems to have taken up residenct on our kayak docks down at the marina. I've seen it resting there on several different occasions this month.
-Loads of sea birds can be found in the sheltered bays around here. Not surprisingly, they don't like to get beat up out in the wind either.
All in all the trip went off without incident. Just like we like it. "Adventures" are made when things go wrong.
After that fantastic camping trip down to the slickrock deserts, and a quick jaunt to visit family in Tucson, we are back in Anacortes and itching to get out for some more kayaking. The problem is the wind. It seems that we are on the receiving end of a giant ocean conveyor belt that has been continuosly slamming our shorelines with storm systems. Every other day strong winds have whipped the waters into a frothy mess. Last week's big storm came in with a vengeance. There was a 76 mph gust recorded out at the Lopez Island ferry terminal. -Just to put things into perspective, according to the Beaufort Scale (a mariner's tool for measuring wind speed and sea state) any winds in excess of 73 mph are considered HURRICANE force winds!!
Although a stormy sea can be incredibly beautiful, it can frustrate the efforts of folks wanting to come out kayaking with us. (Sorry Christine and Andrew, we'll get you guys out with us eventually)
At some point this pattern will break and we will be rewarded with some perfect winter kayaking conditions. If you see a good weather forecast then give us a call quick. There are a lot of people anxious to get out on the water.
A quick synopsis of the wildlife out there:
-All three pods of Resident Orcas (killer whales) were seen two days ago heading in from the Ocean. They are probably going to be seen down in the Puget Sound for a while.
-A huge pod of Harbor Porpoise was reported to be lingering out off of the west side of Burrows Island. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see them before they disperse.
-A harbor seal seems to have taken up residenct on our kayak docks down at the marina. I've seen it resting there on several different occasions this month.
-Loads of sea birds can be found in the sheltered bays around here. Not surprisingly, they don't like to get beat up out in the wind either.
